Child of the Sea
by randomfanfics98
Summary: "The water is alive. Once you set in, it will bear its fangs and attack." Set in beginning of ep 6. During the training camp, Makoto's fear overwhelms him, and he is somehow reverted to a child from when his fear of the ocean took place. How will Haru, Nagisa, and Rei deal with this? Read to find out. Slight MakoHaru.
1. Prologue

**A/N: My first fanfic after 2 years of inactivity on my acc. Also my first fanfic for Free! Don't mind the weirdness, I have a liking for "child-adult" stories, and felt Mako-chan was the best for this type of situation. If you haven't watched ep 6 of Free!, go watch it first before reading this, to understand what's going on. This will be more than a one-shot, so enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free! or any of the characters.**

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It wasn't a very well-known fact that Makoto was afraid of the ocean. In fact, only Haruka and he knew of said fear. Hence, when Nagisa and Rei suggested the training camp to the "deserted islands", they were not in the least bit worried about anything that might happen.

Now, the 4 had a "problem". Rei knew very well he couldn't swim as well as the others, and took it upon himself to train at night, when the others were asleep. What he did not expect, was the ocean to turn rough due to the storm, waves washing over him. As a beginner, there was no way he could swim through that mess. No other choice, he screamed for help, praying either Makoto or Haruka would come to save him, as he didn't trust that Nagisa could possibly save him (with his small frame).

"Help! Someone, anyone! HELP!" Poor Rei cried desperately, fighting against the storm to stay above water.

Not being a heavy sleeper, Makoto had woken slightly before the cries, due to the storm. "…Rei? Where are you?" he looked around the tent, finding no one there.

Venturing out into the heavy rain, he could barely see anything. Then the cries for help came again: "Someone, HELP!"

Immediately recognizing it as Rei's voice, Makoto didn't think twice and jumped into the ocean, pushing aside his fear to save his friend. As he swam closer, Rei's cries got louder, as did the storm get stronger. That's when it happened. A panic attack hit him. Memories of the "incident" rushed back, and he suddenly stopped. He couldn't swim anymore to save himself, much less his friend. Resigning to his fear, he slipped out of consciousness and sunk to the bottom of the ocean without another sound.

* * *

"Makoto? Makoto!?" he heard someone call his name from within the darkness.

" _Am I dead?"_ he thought as he drifted in empty space. Everything hurt, his lungs were burning, yet he felt strange, like an ethereal feeling was surrounding him.

Opening his eyes slowly, he could barely make out Haru's face over him, ridden with worry and concern, before he started coughing out all the sea water in his system.

"Makoto! Are you okay?" Haru's voice was full of worry, and this was saying something, as Haru hardly ever felt any kind of emotion.

"Haru..ka…" what was he saying? This was the first time in a long time he called his best friend by his full name, girly or not. "Everything hurts…" he complained, still barely staying conscious.

"Really? You don't seem to be injured anywhere…" Haru mused, before his best friend screamed in pain. The scream was so loud, it hurt his eardrums. It sounded like a dying animal of sorts.

"Makoto! What's wrong!? What's happening?!" poor Haru barely had any time to register what was going on, when he saw his friend shrinking before his very eyes. Within a few seconds, the 17-year old Makoto was gone, and in his place lay a small child, no older than possibly 8. The trousers that he was wearing before he shrunk remained, meaning the only thing covering the child from indecency was a giant pair of trousers. Unable to process such a strange phenomenon, Haru could only stare blankly at the now small Makoto.

What the child did next was unfathomable. He reached his arms up to the confused teen, smiling, and happily cried out. "Hawwuuuuu-channn!"

Poor Haru just wanted to faint right there and then.

* * *

 **A/N: How was it? Bad? Maybe? I really like these kind of stories and got upset when no one wrote one for Free yet. So I wrote one myself. Should I continue with this? Reviews appreciated!**


	2. Sukishima Rest House

**A/N: I'm really just writing everything off the top of my head, so do forgive me for any grammatical errors or consistency mistakes. I'll continue with the story as long as I have ideas, so I'd appreciate it if someone can give me a new idea after this chapter. I run out of inspiration rather quickly. I'll try my best to refrain from OOC-ness, but I was never good at Fanfics to begin with. Anyways, back to the story.**

* * *

Poor Haru was at a loss for what to do. The only children he dealt with were Makoto's siblings, Ren and Ran. He had no idea how to deal with a DE-AGED teenager. Logic taking over his mind, he pondered the most logical thing to do in the situation. The "child" Makoto was now standing, still looking up at him with smiling eyes, and baggy trousers falling off his body. And it was still raining heavily. He decided, first things first, was to find Nagisa and Rei, and find some shelter. He figured those 2 would be on the same island as them. As if on cue, he heard Nagisa's voice calling out to them.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! There you are!" Nagisa was running toward them, with Rei following slightly behind. Then realization hit him. How was he going to explain this 'situation' to those 2? When said pair reached them, they were equally confused as Haru was at the moment. Rei was the first to speak up.

"Haruka-senpai, what, who is that?" he almost shouted, pointing at Makoto. "And where is Makoto-senpai? Did he drown?" after uttering those words, his face paled at the possibility of his senpai drowning while trying to save him.

With no other choice, Haru slowly explained the situation to him and Nagisa. "Guys, I don't know how to say it, but THIS is Makoto. After I got him here to land, he screamed, and then transformed from his normal self to a child." Haru wasn't sure himself if his explanation made any sense, as the others just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Th-this can't be possible. Such an unscientific thing could not possibly happen…" Rei paled, continuing to stare at his three friends.

"Hawwwuu-chan, I'm cold…" the small Makoto's voice suddenly popped up. Realization hit him again, and they remembered they were still on the deserted island, in the heavy rain.

"Where are we anyway?" Nagisa piped up, after clearing his head (somewhat).

"I believe this is Sukishima, the island facing the tents." Rei said as he pointed across the water to where the tents stood. "I remember when we ran over here earlier today, I saw a lighthouse up the cliff."

On prompt, all four looked up, and saw there was indeed a lighthouse on top of the cliff they were under. "Shall we head over there, then?" Nagisa suggested, but it was more of a 'we don't have a choice' thing.

"Nagiiiissaaaa!" Makoto suddenly shouted, startling said boy. "Can you cawwy me?" he pleaded, eyes shining with the same happiness his teenage self held.

"I'll carry you to the lighthouse." Haru offered. He picked up the child, and placed him on his back, placing one hand on his buttocks to keep those baggy pants in place. The child's arms wrapped around his neck, and the Iwatobi team set off.

* * *

When they reached the lighthouse, the first thing they noticed was the sign outside, which read: "Sukishima rest house."

"What is this place? It's kinda creepy…" Rei mused, fear rising in his heart.

"Isn't that obvious, Rei-chan? It's a rest howse!" Nagisa commented

"That isn't what I meant. Also it's not rest _howse_ , it's a rest _house_."

"Let's go in. We have no other choice." Haru bluntly stated, as he felt Makoto cling tighter to his neck in fear.

"Hawwu-chan, I'm ssccarreedd…" he started to sob.

Placing a reassuring hand on Makoto's hand, Haru gave a slight smile. "It's okay. I'm with you. I won't let harm come to you."

Nagisa went forward to try and open the door to the rest house, but sadly found it locked. He started pulling on it, which looked rather comical. "Haru-chan, Rei-chan, it's locked. What do we do now?" he pouted.

"Very simple. We break this door down." Rei stated, and got in a position ready to kick the door down.

"We can't do that Rei-chan! What if someone sees? We'll get arrested for property damage and trespassing!"

"You're the one who said this is a deserted island! There's no one here anymore, and no one would care if we broke into an _abandoned_ building."

Ignoring any further protests from Nagisa, Rei began to kick the door down the middle. When that didn't work after 3 tries, he rammed his right side into the door frame, and it came crashing down.

"Rei-chan you did it! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just a little fall." He said while rubbing his side.

As the team stepped into the rest house, it seemed rather normal, except for the fact it was dark. As they walked further, Haru felt Makoto's grip on his neck increase.

"Nagisa, search for a light source. A flashlight or a lamp." Haru commanded, and turned his head to face Makoto while Nagisa ran off. "It'll be okay. We're all together here." Reassured by the statement, he nodded silently.

"Haru-chan! I found a flashlight!" Nagisa shouted, returning from his "search".

"Will you please stop shouting?" Rei deadpanned. "It's kinda annoying."

Using the flashlight, the team lighted their way around the 'rest house'. They found some food and water in the remains of a kitchen, and went upstairs to what seemed like bedrooms. Setting down the child in his arms, Haru sat by a small table with Nagisa and Rei. He wanted to scold Rei for being out in the ocean at night that caused their current situation, but decided against it, to solve their more immediate problem.

"Ne Haru-chan, how are we gonna tell Gou, Ama-sensei, and Mako-chan's parents about this?"Nagisa asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I think we need to logically approach the situation first, and try to figure out what is going on." Rei stated.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" Haru snapped, getting more annoyed.

"Haruka-senpai, I think I should tell you something first. When Makoto-senpai dived into the water to save me from drowning, I could see he was having a panic attack of some sort. He was swimming toward me, when he suddenly stopped swimming, and started drowning himself." Rei sounded guilty, feeling he was the one who caused the whole situation.

"I think we should ask Mako-chan something. It might help our understanding." Nagisa suggested, and turned to the child Makoto, now clutching his oversized pants, as if they would protect him. "Hey Mako-chan, do you remember me? How old are you?"

"I remember Nagiiisa-kun, I'm…" he started counting his fingers. "I'm 7 years old!" he said proudly.

Haru and Nagisa looked at each other, and nodded silently. That would make the most sense. He was old enough to remember both of them, but it was also after the 'incident' happened.

"I don't remember you." Young Makoto suddenly pointed at Rei. "Who are you? You seem nice." He smiled curiously

"My name is Rei, Mako-chan. It's nice to meet you." Rei smiled back.

"At least now we know he doesn't have the mind of his teenage self, since he doesn't know who Rei-chan is. His body also seems to have regressed, seeing as he lost all the muscle. He looks exactly like when he and Haru-chan were around that age." Nagisa tried his best to explain his understanding of the situation. Haru nodded in understanding and got up to rummage through the closet in the room they were in.

"Haruka-senpai, what are you doing?" Rei questioned, looking over. "It doesn't seem appropriate to go digging through that closet just like that…" he cut himself off when Haru pulled 4 shirts out of the closet, and held them up for everyone. The shirt read 'Sukishima Rest House'.

"Would you rather stay in your wet clothes or wear something dry?" he deadpanned.

Everyone put the shirts on, and Nagisa helped Makoto put one on. The shirt was big enough to cover his body until the knees, and it looked rather odd.

Young Makoto started yawning, and lay on the floor to rest. As Haru watched over him and caressed his face, he couldn't help thinking the 'transformation' had something to do with the 'incident' that happened when they were aged 6, and Makoto's fear of the ocean.

"Mako-chan has the right idea." Nagisa suddenly piqued. "We can't figure anything out if we're all tired. We should get some rest, and head back in the morning."

Rei nodded at the suggestion, and Haru simply looked away. They each slept at different ends of the table, except for Haru, who hugged Makoto close to him, in case he got cold during the night. And off to sleep the four of them went.

* * *

 **A/N: How was that? Any better than the first chapter? I have no idea how to turn Mako-chan back to his normal self though… Someone please give me an idea… T_T**

 **Reviews appreciated everyone!**


	3. The water spirits

**A/N: So I went swimming yesterday after 3 years, and tried backstroke again. Let's just say, Mako-chan and Momo make it look EASY. Then butterfly, I don't even know how Rei does it as a beginner. Anyways, thanks for the reviews guys**

 **Kayamegumi: Awesome idea! Thanks a lot, I'll do something like that, but change it a little. It won't be that easy though. I'm just gonna leave you hanging for now! :D**

 **Otakuchan88: I may get Rin involved in the story, but he'll probably have a minor role instead of a major one. Most of the similar fanfics to this involve using the reversed method to change the person back, but I'm gonna make this more interesting and not be so simple.**

 **This chapter will be about Makoto's dream while they're all asleep in the rest house. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

* * *

" _Where am I?" young Makoto looked around him, but all he saw was empty white space. It felt surreal, ethereal, like a wave of peace was washing over him. As he drifted about the void, he heard something calling out to him._

" _Come, my child." a voice from the void spoke._

" _Who are you?" he tried to ask the voice._

" _We are the water spirits of the ocean." The voice replied. "We exist to help young ones like yourself, but there are also corrupted spirits, who seek to destroy those who venture into the deep."_

" _Why have you brought me here?"_

" _You are special, young one. You are the child of the sea, yet you fear your own home. Now, come. We will show you something."_

 _As the voice spoke those words, he felt air rushing by him, and something pulling his arm, as if he was being pulled forward. He was scared. He didn't know what to do, so he shut his eyes, praying to whatever God out there that the 'spirits' would not harm him._

" _Please open your eyes." The voice prompted. "This is something important you must see."_

 _Opening his eyes, the sight in front of him could not be any stranger to a 7-year-old, who didn't know any better. What he saw in front of him was a 17-year-old version of himself, who appeared to be chained up by all 4 limbs. The chains extended into the void, out of sight, and the teen appeared to be asleep._

"… _Is this… me?" he asked, voice shaky, afraid of what was in front of him._

" _Yes, this is your true self." The voice sounded sad at these words. "This man is afraid of the water, his rightful home. He believes unknown beings exist in the water, which would drag him down. In a way, he is correct, because there exist corrupted spirits who would harm him. However, good spirits like us are willing to help, if only you would reach out to us."_

"… _I'm afraid of the ocean…" young Makoto spoke. "But why am I like this? What have you spirits done to me?" he almost screamed._

" _Young one," the voice was calmer than ever. "You need to learn how to control your own fear. Your friends need you. That night, when you tried to save your friend, your fear overwhelmed you. The Water God decided he needed to help his son overcome his fear, and turned you into the form from when your fear came about."_

" _That doesn't make sense! My father is human! I was not born in the water!"_

" _Ah, that is correct. However, when you were born, the Water God blessed you with the gift of water, just like your friend, Haruka Nanase."_

" _Haru-chan…? He's human too, and you're not making sense!"_

" _Do I have to?" the voice laughed, then turned serious and sad again. "Your friend accepted the gift of water, and embraced it with his heart, allowing him to become one of the best swimmers around. At first, you embraced it too, but when your fear came about, you locked away your gift, and your hidden potential. Dear child, you have the power to be so much more than you are now, you just have to overcome this obstacle."_

" _But I don't know how!" Makoto pleaded. "Please help me, whoever you are! I want to stand by Haru-chan's side, and help him as a friend!" he cried._

" _This is something you must do on your own. All I can do is provide you the information I have already. When you overcome your fear, you will return to your normal body. In the meantime, it's up to_ you _to make the choice to accept your gift or not. Goodbye."_

 _At these words, the image of his older self started to fade away, and he felt like he was falling out of the light, into the darkness. "Wait! I don't know your name! Please, don't go! Don't leave me!" Makoto begged._

" _My name does not matter, young one." The voice laughed. "It is time for me to take my leave. The rest is in your hands. When you wake up, you will find yourself near the ocean. What you do from there is completely up to you."_

 _With those parting words, silence surrounded the child, and he no longer felt at peace. He started falling, down into the void of darkness. Reaching upwards, his small hands tried to grab something, anything, to stop himself from falling into the abyss. He finally got a grip on a structure on his right side. Hanging on tight, he pulled himself upward._

" _LET GO. YOU MUST LEAVE THIS PLACE." The voice boomed, in a commanding voice._

 _With those words, the surface beneath the poor child's hands crumbled away, and he fell into the abyss below. Closing his eyes, he relaxed his entire body, and braced himself for the impact when he hit another surface. It never came._

* * *

When Haru awoke, the first thing he noticed was the sun starting to rise outside the bedroom window, and that it had stopped raining. The second thing he noticed, was that his arms were pressing down on empty space, slightly above his stomach. _"That's strange."_ He thought. _"I could've sworn I was holding Makoto last night when we all fell asleep-"_ Then realization hit him. Makoto was gone. Scrambling to his feet, he ran to wake Nagisa and Rei from the other side of the room. "Guys! Wake up!" he practically yelled, slapping both their faces.

"…Huh? Haru-chan..? What's wrong?" Nagisa groggily grumbled, still half-asleep.

"What's the big deal, Haruka-senpai?" Rei mumbled, rubbing his cheek from where Haru had slapped him.

"Guys, Makoto's gone. We have to find him!" Haru shouted while running out the room.

"What?!" Nagisa and Rei were now fully awake, aware of the situation.

"Find him! Nagisa, Rei, search the first floor. I'll search the second floor!" Haru commanded, and all ran out of the room to start searching.

Five minutes later, they all assembled at the main entrance of the rest house, with worried looks on their faces.

"We couldn't find Makoto-senpai anywhere." Rei spoke. "Where could he be?"

"Don't tell me…" Nagisa shuddered at the thought.

"Let's go!" Haru ran out of the house, motioning the others to follow. "Before it's too late!"

The three made a mad dash down the cliff, onto the beach. Once they reached the beach, the first thing they saw was Makoto, still in his child form, lying on the sand, just out of the waves' reach. He was wearing the oversized t-shirt from the rest house, and he slept with a calm expression on his face. Rushing over, Haru bent down and shook him awake.

"Makoto. Makoto, wake up!" he begged. Feeling the boy stir, he looked down, and saw Makoto slowly opening his eyes.

"Haru-chan... You really are the best in the water…" he croaked weakly, before falling back asleep.

Running over, Nagisa and Rei saw Haru picking up Makoto in his arms. "Haruka-senpai, what do we do now?" Rei asked, obviously concerned.

"We bring him back up to the rest house to rest, and we think of a solution." Haru stated, his stoic expression returning. Without another word, he walked off, back in the direction of the rest house, leaving poor Nagisa and Rei to follow him, not knowing what was going on.

Although his expression was stoic, Haru was genuinely concerned for his friend. _"Please be okay, Makoto."_ He internally pleaded, hoping the worst situation had not happened.

* * *

 **A/N: The whole thing about the 'voice' was something I dreamt up last night. You know when some people have near-death experiences, they imagine themselves 'floating' or walking through a white void? I was working for something like that. I really enjoyed writing this, listening to** _ **Danse Macabre**_ **while writing. It kinda made me feel at peace. That music is a masterpiece, relaxing, yet chilling at the same time.**

 **I'll update this story once every 2 days, but as I said before, I'm writing off the top of my head, so no update= no idea. When that happens, please do me a favour and review so I can get a new idea. Reviews appreciated a lot. Thanks everyone!**


	4. Apparitions of the past

**A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews. I'm trying to increase the suspense for a few chapters before going to the climax. Writing character development and conveying emotions is a lot of fun. I like writing dialogue to convey character emotions. It's easier than explaining everything.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

* * *

Returning to the rest house, Haru set young Makoto down on the tatami matted flooring*, and turned to face the others. All three sat in silence, until Nagisa spoke up.

"That's it!" Nagisa suddenly shouted, slamming his hands on the table. It was rare for anyone to see Nagisa lose his cool like this. "Haru-chan, Rei-chan and I don't understand anything that's going on! You seem to understand something, so please tell us. It'll be better if we all know something that would help us understand the situation."

Startled by the sudden outburst, Rei pushed up his glasses and faced Haru as well. "He's right, Haruka-senpai. If you know something, anything, that'll help our understanding, you have to tell us. Please. For Makoto-senpai's sake."

Haru had a bad feeling in his chest he couldn't shake. When Makoto told him those words on the beach, it was the exact same phrase from when they joined Iwatobi Swim Club together at age 6. He couldn't help feeling that phrase had more meaning to it, relating to his love of water, and Makoto's fear of the ocean. Sighing, he begun to explain everything he knew to his friends.

"If you want me to explain **everything** , I'll have to start from the very beginning." He looked at his friends, and took silence as a prompt to continue. "Makoto and I met when we were 4. Back then, we were both able to swim very well, without any prior training. It was a strange phenomenon, but neither of us thought much of it. He always looked up to me, and said I was better than him in the water, which was not really true." At these words, a pained smile formed on Haru's face, as if recollecting the memory was painful for him. "One day, he asked me to join the Iwatobi Swim Club with him. I originally said no, but he kept persisting. These were his exact words: _'Haru-chan, there's no point if you're not with me.'_ That's where we met, Nagisa. We were 6 at the time. Around the same time, he befriended an old fisherman from the harbour, who would always give him small presents." Suddenly, he looked up at his friends, with a dead serious expression. "Guys, do you remember the small grave in Makoto's front yard we saw yesterday?" Both nodded their heads silently. "Well, that grave was for 2 goldfishes that used to be his pets. The fish were given to him by the same old fisherman, when we were 6. In the summer of the same year, there was a big typhoon that hit a group of fishermen when they were out at sea. The boat sank, about 3 kilometers from the harbour. Many fishermen drowned, including the old fisherman. We saw a procession of people dressed in all white, walking toward the harbour to pay their respects. Back then, we didn't know any better, and those people looked as if they'd lost their souls. They were walking like dead people. On that day, Makoto was visibly frightened, and he clung to me for support. I assume this is when his fear of the ocean came about. He once told me, that he thinks _'beings'_ exist in the water that would harm him. From that day, his swimming became more hesitant, and less _free_ , like we always were." Looking up once more, Haru could clearly see his friends looked depressed at the story. They all looked over to Makoto in understanding, finally knowing why the boy behaved as such.

Since Haru had already revealed so much of their secret past to Nagisa and Rei, he decided to complete the story up until their current age. Taking another deep breath, he continued. "Things continued as per normal from that day. When we were 12, I went swimming in the river, without knowing I had a fever. Nagisa, you were there too." Looking up at Nagisa, the younger nodded silently. "You and Makoto were sitting by the river side, while I floated lazy along the water. Suddenly, the current increased rapidly, and the water started carrying me out to sea. I don't remember much, but I recall Makoto running after me with a worried expression on his face. I lost consciousness, and when I awoke, I was in an ambulance, and Makoto was holding me tightly, mumbling something. After that incident, we both quit the swim club, and he stopped swimming until we started up the swim club in school." Sighing, Haru looked downcast, almost crying, but trying to maintain a stoic face.

Nagisa and Rei looked at each other in complete horror, wondering how Makoto managed to keep his cool for so long and always keep a happy expression on his face. Remembering the same incident from Haru's story, Nagisa spoke up. "Haru-chan, about the incident when you were 12, I was there, but Rin was also there." Looking up, Haru stared at Nagisa in shock, but silently begged him to continue. "When the current sped up, we ran after you, and Mako-chan and Rin jumped in the water to save you. I clearly remember when he and Rin pulled you out, he was shaking and refused to look at either of us. He commanded me to call an ambulance for help, while he tried to perform CPR on you. He followed you into the ambulance, while Rin and I went to your house to inform your mother of what had happened. You said you couldn't hear what Makoto said to you in the ambulance, right? I could barely make it out. He had said: _'Haru, don't leave me. That evil water can't have taken you. Don't leave me.'_ Haru-chan, he was shaking and crying in the ambulance when he said that." Hearing that, Haru looked over to the sleeping Makoto, and visibly paled. "Haru-chan, that incident served to intensify his fear. And you know what happened next."

Haru could only stare at his friends in horror. Not once in his life, had he heard Makoto say something like that. Haru believed that the water was alive, but apparently Makoto believed that 'evil water' existed too. _"Perhaps he thought the fishermen were taken away by the evil water."_ Haru thought. Then realization hit him. _"Makoto is not afraid of pool water because he knows there's nothing harmful inside. He's afraid of open water bodies like the ocean because of the close shaves he's had with the 'evil water'. He knows there's 'something' inside that can harm him."_ The pieces started to click in place. Now all he needed to do was figure out what exactly triggered Makoto's transformation.

"That was an amazing story Haruka-senpai, Nagisa-kun." Rei suddenly spoke up. "But none of that can explain why Makoto-senpai transformed into his current state. Perhaps we should wait for him to wake up, and ask him if he has any clue of his current state, or how he became like that. Also, we needed to figure out a way to get back to the other island soon. It's already 10am. I'm sure Gou and Ama-sensei are worried about us."

After Rei spoke, the three looked over to the sleeping child, who was starting to stir. Getting up, he yawned a little, and stretched his arms up above his head. "Good morning, Haru-chan, Nagisa-kun, Rei-kun." He smiled at his friends.

Smiling back, Nagisa took a risk and asked him something. "Mako-chan, do you want to go for a swim in the ocean?" With these words, Haru glared at him, and Makoto looked sad.

"I'm afraid of the ocean…" he mumbled out, looking down.

"We have to swim across the ocean to get back to our friends, Mako-chan." Nagisa prompted. "Don't worry, we'll be with you. You're safe with us." He smiled.

Looking over, Rei spotted Makoto's pants which he had left lying on the floor the night before. He got an idea. Picking it up, he tied the two ends of it, leaving one open end. It looked somewhat like a balloon. "Rei, what are you doing?" Haru glared over.

"Haruka-senpai, I had an idea. We can inflate these, and Makoto-senpai can use these as a float to swim across the water. That way, he's less likely to drown. These pants won't fit him in his current state anyway."

Haru looked surprised at the thought. Looking over to Makoto, he seemed to have calmed down a bit, and took the 'pants' from Rei.

"Shall we go, Makoto?" Haru offered his hand to the child.

"Mm! Let's go, Haru-chan!" he gave his best genuine smile, and ran out of the house, with the others following closely behind.

Makoto ran down the cliff excitedly, but when he reached the beach, he skidded to a halt. Remembering his dream from the night before, he could only stare blankly across the water. Nagisa was the first to catch up to him, but paused when he saw Makoto's frozen figure. "What's wrong, Mako-chan?" he asked curiously.

"The water spirits… They're coming to take us… I don't wanna go!" he sounded scared, barely audible. "I don't want Nagisa-kun, Rei-kun, and Haru-chan to go! They're evil!" he suddenly shouted and crouched down, arms above his head to comfort himself. His shout attracted the attention of Haru and Rei, who bent down to his level to try and comfort him. As Haru ran his hands across Makoto's tense back, he thought of exactly what he'd heard, trying to put the pieces together.

" _Makoto thinks there are beings in the water. 'The water spirits'… are they the 'beings' he imagined so long ago? Does he think these 'spirits' will take swimmers and pull them to drown under the ocean?"_ Haru pondered, while stroking Makoto's back and looking at the water beyond them.

Looking towards the horizon, he spotted a large, human-like figure floating slightly above the water. Its feet were just barely touching the surface, and its back was facing him. He paused, and squinted to get a better look at the figure. It appeared to be wearing nothing but long jammers, black with green stripes, similar to the ones teen Makoto wore. There were long chains attached to both its wrists and ankles, but seemed to have been severed at some point. It seemed to have olive-brown hair, the same as Makoto's. Squinting some more, Haru couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. As he continued to stare, the figure slowly turned around. He expected to see those beautiful green eyes of Makoto's, but all he saw was a dark red where the eyes should be. He blinked, and looked at the 'being' more carefully. It was now facing him. Thankfully, the physical Makoto below him was still looking down, so he didn't have to see said 'being'. The figure horrifyingly resembled teen Makoto. Everything was exactly the same, except for the eyes, and the chains attached to its wrists and ankles. The figure stared at Haru with blank red eyes. There were no eyeballs, no irises, just a red void where the eyes should be. The figure slowly raised its right arm, continuously staring at Haru. Its mouth moved, but no words seemed to come out. However, Haru could hear words in his brain, as if the figure had telepathically spoken to him. _"You are the child of the sea."_ The words sounded in his head. He wanted to reach out and talk to the figure, but as his arm reached out, the figure quickly faded away, like it never existed. The words rang in his head like some kind of mantra. _"You are the child of the sea."_ He repeated the thoughts in his head, before getting up and turning to Nagisa and Rei, who were in the water, inflating the makeshift float.

"Guys, did you see that figure?" he blurted out. On hindsight, it sounded quite ridiculous.

"What figure Haru-chan?" Nagisa asked, looking confused.

" _Am I the only one who saw the figure?"_ he thought to himself. "Nevermind. Let's get a move on." His stoic expression returned, and he got up. Reaching his hand to Makoto, the child looked up. "Are you ready to go?" he asked calmly, trying his best to sound reassuring.

Taking his hand, the child stood up and smiled. "I'm safe as long as I'm with you, Haru-chan!"

Handing him the kickboard, Rei suddenly said, "Makoto-senpai, you can use this. I'll use the makeshift float." After the statement, he grabbed the float and swam off with Nagisa, heading back to the island with their tents.

"Shall we go then?" Haru smiled, letting go of the child's hand. "Don't worry. I'll be beside you all the way. If you're uncomfortable, hang on to me." Haru seemed to be showing more emotion lately, and he wondered why. Was his hard exterior finally cracking?

The child quickly ran into the water, and started paddling his way through the water. Haru looked on for a while, before finally getting in the water and following after his friends. As he swam, however, he could not get the figure's voice out of his head.

" _You are the child of the sea."_

* * *

 **A/N: Whooo! 2200 words! Longest chapter I've written in my life. Tatami flooring is a traditional type of flooring in Japanese houses, it's soft, and so people can just sleep on it without the need for a futon (traditional Japanese bed). This chapter took about 3 hours to write, because I also had to hunt the anime and HighSpeed! Manga for references. The incident with the river was quite different in the manga. In the manga, Rin and Makoto were there, with a classmate, and Nagisa wasn't there. Also in the manga, Haru and Makoto didn't meet Nagisa until age 12. I changed the timeline to make things easier. This way, I don't have to mention the relay the 4 swam when they were 12. I got the idea of the 'pants float' from when I was learning to swim. I did something similar with my pyjama pants in the water.** **The 'figure' I mentioned near the end of this chapter is the same thing child Mako 'saw' in his dream in Chapter 3.** **Anyways, if you guys have any ideas you'd like me to include in the next chapter, do write in the reviews, and I'll try my best to fit it into the plot. I always give my all to writing, and I'm trying to make this story the best I've done. Reviews appreciated guys! :D**


	5. The figure of fear

**A/N: I hate writing 'real world' scenes. It's just so difficult to put myself in that situation. Writing 'spiritual', ethereal scenes are more up my alley. You can compare ch3 vs the others to see for yourself.**

* * *

Thankfully, the team returned to the training island without any issue. When they reached however, they were met with an angry Gou (Kou), and Amakata-sensei who were glaring daggers at all of them.

"Where have you been?!" Gou hollered. "We've been searching all morning for you four, Ama-sensei's been worried sick! We almost called the police to look for you!" Gou certainly could be scary when she wanted to be. She was reprimanding them, hands on her hips, trademark Matsuoka glare on her face.

"Sorry, Gou-chan…" Nagisa tried to calm her down. "We had a little incident… last night…"

"What incident?!" she demanded, staring down the boys. "And where is Makoto-senpai?" She spotted the child form of Makoto, and freaked out instantly. "GAH! Who is this child?! When did he get here?" she took a few steps back, backing away from the boys, as if they would harm her.

"Ummm Gou-san…" Rei tried to explain, "This child here is part of the 'incident' that happened last night… You see… This boy here, is Makoto-senpai, hard as it is to believe."

The child looked up at her with curious eyes, still wearing nothing but the oversized t-shirt from the rest house. "Who are you? I don't recognize you…" he spoke, flashing Makoto's trademark eye smile.

Recognizing the smile, Gou stumbled in complete disbelief and shock. "I don't believe this… It really is Makoto-senpai…" she stuttered out. "How did he become like this?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Gou-san." Rei stated bluntly, pushing his glasses up once again.

"Well, we have to tell Makoto-senpai's parents, right? They can't not know about this whole fiasco…" Gou mumbled, still reeling from shock.

"We don't have to." Haru interjected. "We still have about a week to figure out this whole situation, and change him back. If we can't change him back by then, only then will we tell his family." He stated firmly.

"Well, alright then…" she mumbled, still sounding unsure. Reaching her hand out to the child Makoto, she introduced herself. "Makoto, my name is Gou, but please call me Kou." She smiled at him.

"Alright, Gou-san!" he laughed cheekily, attempting the same trick Nagisa did when they first met Gou.

Sighing, she turned to the rest of the teenage boys. "Are you boys hungry? It's already noon, and I assume you haven't had anything to eat since last night's dinner."

"I'm starving!" Nagisa piped up. "What's for lunch, Gou-chan?"

"I guess we'll eat the frozen pizzas Sasabe-san left us." Walking over to the tables by the beach, she began to set up for their lunch.

"Ne, Haru-chan," Makoto suddenly looked up at Haru. "Gou-chan seems scary. Is she always like that?"

"Oh she seems so mean, but she's actually really nice! You'll see!" Nagisa interjected, not giving Haru a chance to respond.

The team ate in mostly silence, with the exception of Gou snapping her camera randomly to take pictures of the boys, mainly to feed her muscle fetish.

"Ooohh! Let me see your pictures, Gou-chan!" Nagisa yelled playfully, and yanked the camera out of her grip.

Sifting through the image gallery, Nagisa saw that most of the pictures were of them training in the ocean on the first day of their training camp. Most of the pictures were taken at an angle, to highlight each of their 'charm point' muscles. There was one picture, however, that did not show any cleavage. It was a group photo of the 4 boys, with Ama-sensei and Gou on the side. He remembered the photo was taken by Coach Sasabe when they arrived on the island on the first day. "Ne, Haru-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, look at this picture of us!" he exclaimed. "Cute right?"

Grabbing the camera out of Nagisa's paws, Haru took a closer look at the picture. In the picture, they were facing the lodge, with the water behind them in the background. It made a good backdrop, until Haru looked even closer and spotted a 'figure' in the background of the picture. Squinting a little, he recognized it as the same 'figure' he saw on the shore of Sukishima before they set off in the morning. In the picture, the figure's back was facing them, the only difference from what he saw in the morning was the lack of chains on its limbs. Turning to his friends, Haru kept his focus on the figure in the picture. "Guys, do you see this figure?" he prompted, pointing at the camera screen.

Looking over to the screen, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou looked at him in confusion. "What figure, Haru-chan? What are you talking about?" Nagisa asked, obviously confused.

Haru was shocked by this point. _"Am I the only one who can see this thing?"_ he thought. Turning to Makoto, he showed him the picture. Makoto visibly paled when he saw the picture, a clear indication that he could see the figure as well. _"This doesn't make sense. Does it have something to do with those words?"_ Haru pondered, thinking back to when that strange voice called him _'The Child of the Sea'_. Handing the camera back to Gou, he went to change into his jammers, and jumped into the sea, in an attempt to clear his mind of all the strange events the past few hours.

Looking over to child Makoto, Gou decided that he needed some proper clothes for the time being. She motioned for him to follow her into the lodge with Ama-sensei, where they bought some proper sized clothing for him, at the expense of Ama-sensei. The three returned outside, where Nagisa and Rei were still wolfing down pizzas. "Wow! Mako-chan, you really look like what you were all those years ago!" Nagisa piped up, remembering their times together as children.

"Thank you, Nagisa-kun." Makoto said, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Alright, all of you!" Gou suddenly shouted, in her best commando voice. "Makoto-senpai may be excused from training due to his current state, but the rest of you must continue with your training regimen, starting right now!" She marched over to where Nagisa and Rei were seated, and yanked both their ears, forcing both to stand up.

"OW! Gou-chan, what was that for?!" Nagisa whined.

"No complaining! Now get to training!"

Defeated, Nagisa and Rei went to change into their swimsuits, and joined Haru in the water, to continue their training regimen.

* * *

As Haru swam to train his body, he could not get that image of the 'figure' of teen Makoto out of his head. Every time he looked back to the distance he'd just swam past, he thought he saw the figure floating right behind him. _"It's just paranoia."_ He kept telling himself. He would look back to the shore every now and then, and see Makoto either chatting with Gou, or staring blankly across the water. Haru couldn't help but think Makoto's blank stare was due to him looking at his teenage figure in the water. _"I'd be horrified to see something like that if I were him."_

As the day went by, it was rather uneventful. The three trained with one another, with Makoto watching, and occasionally cheering them on. At the end of the day, they all returned to the tents for a good nights' rest, swapping sleeping arrangements. It was decided for Rei and Nagisa to sleep together, while Haru slept with Makoto, to ensure a similar incident of the previous night did not occur. Haru watched his best friend sleep, admiring the calmness in his position. Hugging Makoto close to his body to make sure he didn't wander off again, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Bad chapter is bad. I don't like putting up sub-standard chapters, but this one had to be done. I had to write about the picture, because I'm going to make the 'figure' an important part of the story, at least near the end. I'm writing a lot of this from second-person, Haru's POV. Second-person is more difficult than third or first-person POV, so do forgive me for grammar/tense mistakes. Reviews appreciated! :D**


	6. The Water Realm

**A/N: The first part of this chapter is about Haru's dream state. Second part is about character interaction/development. I published this together with ch5, to try and make up for the bad quality, so do forgive me. Anyways, back to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

* * *

" _Where am I?" Haru wondered, looking around. All he saw around him was empty, white space. It seemed he was in a white void, yet he felt strangely at peace. Instead of floating, he was standing firmly on a surface._

" _Welcome, Nanase Haruka." A voice calmly spoke. It sounded female, devoid of any emotion._

" _Don't play games with me. Where am I?" Haru demanded, serious as ever._

" _Hasty, are we?" the voice sounded playful, almost mocking him. "You are in the Water Realm. Only the water spirits and Children of the Sea in their spirit form may enter this realm. Do watch what you say here. One wrong word, and the Water God won't hesitate to kill you. He's a merciless one."_

" _You can't kill me. I'm not physically here." Haru was getting more annoyed by the minute._

 _The voice laughed again. "Smart, aren't you. We can't physically kill you, but we can trap your soul in the Water Realm. Your physical body will become nothing more than an empty shell."_

 _Haru paled at this. He knew he had to be careful now. "So, why have you brought me here?" he tried to ask again, more gentle this time._

" _We brought you here to explain the situation to you. This would be so much easier than explaining to that friend of yours. He couldn't possibly comprehend anything with such a child-like mind."_

" _Makoto?" he uttered, and almost instantly the 'figure' of teen Makoto appeared before him, carrying the same ghostly appearance from when it was floating above the water. Those blank, deathly eyes, the black and green swim jammers, and chains around its limbs, everything was exactly the same._

" _The Water God wants to help the Children of the Sea. Your friend here, is afraid of the ocean, his rightful home. As such, the Water God made a deal with him."_

" _Deal? You didn't make any deal. Makoto didn't agree to any of this!" Haru snapped, soul-snatching be damned._

" _Don't get feisty now. The deal was, the Water God would take care of his teenage soul, reverting him back to the form from when his fear came about, in order to conquer said fear. His soul is what you see before you."_

" _And what do you have to do with this? You're not the Water God, are you?"_

" _Of course not, silly." The voice laughed again. "However, I_ am _one of the Water God's most trusted and loyal servants. We are constantly helping Children of the Sea like this one. I was simply assigned to your friend here."_

" _So… Let me get this straight. Once Makoto conquers his fear of the ocean, he will return to his normal self. Correct?"_

" _That was the deal, yes." The voice started to sound more ominous with these words. "However, I myself have grown rather fond of this one. Such a sweetheart. So loyal, unquestioning, he will make a good servant for me." The voice laughed, but it sounded more like an evil cackle this time._

" _Wait, what are you saying?" Haru stepped forward, reaching his hand toward the figure, but pulled back when his hand simply passed through the body._

" _I have decided to keep him. He will become my servant for all eternity. Your friend will never get back his original body. Oh, and he won't be able to age too. He'll be stuck in that child form forever. Interesting, don't you think so? He won't have a single care in the world!" the voice was now mocking him._

" _ **You can't! Give me back Makoto!**_ _" Haru roared, charging forward, trying to find the source of the voice. He didn't care that he'd just passed through Makoto's spirit form._

" _And who are you to stop me? Humans can't simply stop ethereal beings like myself. Only the Water God himself has the power to stop me."_

" _I'll get the help of the Water God, stop you, and save Makoto!" Haru was now frantically looking around the void, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice._

" _Such big words. You really think a human like yourself can stop all-powerful spirits? I don't think so." The voice turned serious. "Nanase Haruka, you are no longer welcome in the Water Realm. I must ask you to leave this place now." It commanded._

 _On command, Makoto's spirit form raised its arms, and the chains shot out from its wrists. One chain wrapped around Haru's neck, constricting him. The other, grabbed his ankles and twisted them together. Both moved upwards, effectively lifting Haru from the surface he was standing on._

" _Goodbye, Nanase Haruka." The voice deadpanned, and disappeared into the void, which was slowly turning dark._

" _Wait! I ugh-"he choked out, before looking down below him. All he saw was a hole leading to an empty black void, contrasting to the white void he was currently in. Looking over to the spirit Makoto, it was expressionless as ever, eyes dead and unmoving, arms moving steadily to bind him. Without a single word, the chains suddenly released, and Haru found himself falling into the endless black abyss. He kept falling for minutes, not knowing when he'd stop. Closing his eyes, he made a firm resolve. "Just wait, Makoto. I_ _ **will**_ _save you, and stop this evil spirit._ _ **I will help you return to normal**_ _." With a clear goal in mind, he relaxed his body, and let the surrounding darkness envelop him all around._

* * *

When Haru awoke, the first thing he noticed was Makoto shaking him, with a worried look on his face. "Ne Haru-chan, are you okay?" he questioned. "You were mumbling my name in your sleep…"

"Makoto…?" he mumbled out, rubbing his eyes. _"Was that all a dream?_ Why are you awake so early?"

"Haru-chan, it's almost noon! I've been trying to wake you up for hours!"

"What?!" he stuttered. "Hey Makoto, I had a strange dream earlier."  
"What was it about, Haru-chan?" Makoto tilted his head to the side, with his trademark smile.

"Lay off the –chan already. Anyways, do you know about the water realm? Water spirits, Water God, 'Children of the Sea', any of these?"

Makoto reeled backward, fear written all over his face. "I know about them… Haru-chan, how do you know this?!"

"It was in my dream last night." He sighed. "There was this 'spirit' that told me about the Water Realm, and the Children of the Sea. Makoto, you and I are one of them."

"I know that… And I don't like it…" he sounded even sadder at these words. "I don't want anything to do with it! Without that, I wouldn't be like this now!" he screamed, just like a child would.

" _Makoto knows of his own situation? I see… He must've had a similar dream as what I did. Does he know how to change himself back? And I don't think he knows of that cheat of a 'spirit'. I feel like a really bad friend now…"_

"Makoto, what exactly do you know of your current situation?" he turned to the child, who was now a sobbing mess.

"A spirit told me during my dream that I need to overcome my fear of the ocean to return to my normal self." He sniffed. "But it's impossible, Haru-chan! You're brave, and strong, but I'm… not. I've always had to hide behind you, I'm a scaredy-cat, and I'm just… pathetic." He looked downcast, and Haru could only blink in shock as Makoto berated himself.

All of a sudden, Makoto felt something warm wrap around him. Opening his eyes, he found his best friend had just wrapped him in a bear hug. "Haru-chan…? What are you doing?" he choked out.

"Who says you can't be brave? Makoto, you're the bravest person I know. You're the one who gave all of us in the swim team strength. Don't go saying stupid things about yourself like that!" Haru wrapped him even tighter. "I will help you. No, **we** will help you. I swear on my life! We will help you return to your normal self!"

"Thank you so much… Haru-chan…" Makoto continued to sob, wrapping his arms around Haru's back for comfort.

" _That damned spirit can go fuck itself. I won't let it bully Makoto like this! Just watch, you bastard! We_ _ **will**_ _beat your sorry ass!"_ Haru was now internally screaming at the spirit from his dream. As much as his logical mind said it wasn't real, he knew better. There were just too many strange events happening concurrently.

" _I'd like to see you try! Silly humans."_ A voice resonated in his head. Tensing up, he felt Makoto tense up as well.

"Haru-chan, did you hear that voice? It was the same voice from my dreams!" he exclaimed.

Pulling away from their hug, they both looked around the source of the tent for the source of the voice. "Show yourself, you damned spirit!" Haru demanded.

" _Humans are still dumb as ever. We spirits have no physical form. We can only speak to Children of the Sea, be it in the Water Realm, or on Earth." The spirit was now mocking both of them. "Tachibana Makoto, you will never return to your form. I will make sure of that. Your soul will be my servant in the Water Realm for all eternity."_

"What…?" Makoto's face turned pale at these words. "You… Why are you doing this? You said you were going to help me!" he pleaded, now desperate.

" _I said no such thing. I merely gave you information on the deal the Water God made with you. He assigned me to you, and the Water Realm has its own set of rules. A spirit can do whatever it wants to its assigned human, although there are boundaries."_

"Damn you..." Haru was now seething with rage. He didn't tell Makoto of this, because he didn't want him to worry. Now this spirit was ruining everything. "Why don't you take me instead? You just want a servant, right? What's the difference?!" he screamed into mid-air.

"Haru-chan…" child Makoto could only stare at his friend in horror.

" _I told you, the Water Realm has its rules. I can't simply 'swap' him for you. Besides, you're no fun. Always so emotionless, you're boring. Although you have been showing more emotion lately, it's only because of what we did to your friend here."_ It laughed again, apparently trying to annoy Haru, and invoke fear into Makoto.

"Isn't there some rule that states you 'spirits' have to fulfil your end of the deal with your assigned humans?" Haru now wanted to punch the 'spirit', but it didn't have a physical form for him to do so.

" _Yes, there is. The rule states we must return the human to his or her original body_ _ **where possible**_ _. If I keep his soul in the water realm, it becomes impossible for him to return to his body, thereby nullifying the rule. And you, Nanase Haruka, can do nothing to stop me."_

"Damn you… You're the worst of your kind!" Haru was now punching the air randomly, hoping to hit something to let off steam.

" _Indeed I am. The Water God may be all-powerful, but he really is dumb to not realize what I've been doing for the past century of human time. Oh well. It just means more fun for me. Maybe my new servant and I will play with you soon. You two are the most fun pair I've come across in all my time as a water spirit."_ the voice laughed again, and started to fade away. _"You will hear from me again. You can bet your life on it."_ With those words, the voice completely faded, leaving the two boys in shock and horror in their tent.

Looking up at Haru, Makoto could tell he was broken. Haru didn't know what to do. His façade wouldn't keep up, and there was nothing he could do to help his best friend. For the first time in his life, he felt helpless, defeated. Refusing to look Makoto in the eyes, he fell back to the ground, burying his face in his hands and the ground. There was nothing he could do.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay angst! As you can see, I write best when I only have to deal with 3 characters max. It's difficult for me to write interaction between 4 or more characters in any story. What do you think of the water spirit in this chapter? It's the same 'voice' from ch3, in case you didn't notice. Reviews appreciated again! :D**


	7. The Water God

**A/N: The Water God will make an appearance this chapter. I'm gonna give the evil 'spirit' a name, just for fun. This story is coming to an end soon, about 2 more chapters, and maybe 1-2 bonus chapters. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far!**

* * *

" _ **Bellios. BELLIOS!**_ _"_ A loud, commanding voice could be heard all around the Water Realm. It demanded attention, carrying an air of supremacy and might with it. _"_ _ **Bellios. I summon you. Come IMMEDIATELY!"**_

On command, the one known as Bellios appeared, taking the form of a beautiful woman. Legs and arms slender, 'she' had long flowing black hair reaching to the middle of her back. She kneeled before the presence. No one, spirit or human, had ever dared to defy the Water God before. _"I am here, master. Please make your presence seen to your humble servant."_ Her monotonous voice resounded in theWater Realm, where there was no one else to hear her.

On prompt, the Water God's presence faded into being. It stood 20 feet tall, towering over any human or spirit form. He looked down, to watch his pitiful servant kneel before him. They would all humble themselves in his presence. _"_ _ **Bellios, you have defied me.**_ _"_ he boomed.

" _I-I beg your pardon, M-My L-lord?"_ Bellios stuttered. In all history, anyone who defied the Water God were known to have been executed. _"Please, tell me. What have I done wrong? I humbly beg for your forgiveness, My Lord."_ She was now bowing, fear evident in her being.

" _ **You dare to play dumb with me?!**_ _"_ he roared angrily. _"_ _ **I think you know what you have done wrong. You used that human's soul for your own purpose. You told another human about the deal. You should know by now, it is forbidden for any other humans to know of the contract between a Water Spirit and a human.**_ _"_

" _I am truly sorry, My Lord. It was a small mistake on my part. I humbly beg for your forgiveness."_ Bellios tried to sound calm, but she knew the Water God could see within her soul, her fearful, rotten soul. It was pointless.

" _ **And now you dare LIE to me?! You knew full well what you were doing. Bellios, I have been aware of your under-handed tactics since the beginning. I didn't go against you, because of the rules governing our realm. You didn't break any rules, hence I couldn't do anything to restrain you. Those rules hold more power than I. However, this time, you have gone TOO FAR! Why do you wish to harm my Children?!"**_

" _Evil has taken over my soul, My Lord."_ Her voice was now eerily calm, fear disappearing from her heart. _"Come, punish your servant. I humbly accept death that is bestowed upon me."_ She rose to her feet, arms held out at her side, in a position ready to accept a painful death.

" _ **I will not kill you. The law states that I must punish you, but I am free to choose what kind of punishment to deliver on the disobedient.**_ _"_ The Water God's voice was now calm, but still struck a small fear into her heart. _"_ _ **I have a far worse punishment for you. You will be banished into the Darkness Realm for all eternity.**_ _"_

At this, Bellios' eyes grew wide, and her whole body shuddered with fear. The Darkness Realm was where evil spirits lay, and it was well known that those sent there received horrible fates, torture far worse than death. _"W-why would you do that to me? Would death not be an easier option?"_ she stuttered out, trying and failing to convince the Water God to change his mind.

" _ **Death is too easy of a punishment for you. You want an easy way out from your heinous deeds, but I won't give you one. I will see to it that your soul is condemned to eternal torture within the Darkness Realm.**_ _"_

" _Very well. I will accept my fate. My servant will carry on my work for me!"_ her eyes widened with evil intent, her mind bent on vengeance. _"The humans who interfered will feel my vengeance! And there's nothing you can do to stop my servant! My will has already been passed on to him!"_

The Water God's eyes widened. It was rare for anyone to invoke fear into such an almighty being. _"_ _ **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!**_ _"_ he screeched. _"_ _ **You're going to use that human's soul to kill him and his friends? That human will be trapped in limbo forever!**_ _"_

" _YES! I DON'T CARE!"_ Bellios was now completely out of her mind, laughing evilly before the Water God. _"You can banish me to the Darkness Realm, but nothing will change the fact that those humans will die by my servant's hands!"_

Without a moment's hesitation, the Water God swung his right hand, opening a hole below Bellios. It sucked like a vacuum. She didn't resist, and let herself be sucked into the Realm, darkness enveloping her around. _"Goodbye, Water God. It was fun to see that reaction on your face. Now, watch pitifully as your beloved Children are killed by their very souls!"_ Those were her final words before descending into madness within the Darkness Realm, never to be seen or heard by anyone ever again.

" _ **What have I done…**_ _"_ the Water God buried his face in his giant hands, guilt overwhelming him. _"_ _ **That human must hurry, only he can save himself now. He must overcome his fear, and return to his body before it's too late. I'm sorry, young one. I cannot stop your soul, for it is a free soul I have no control over. Only you can save yourself and your friends now.**_ _"_ He sighed, knowing said humans would not be able to hear his words. A single tear rolling down his cheek, he slowly faded out of sight, disappearing to the depths of the Water Realm once more.

* * *

Their days on the training camp were uneventful. They passed without any other major event, and it was already 4 days since poor Makoto was reverted to his child form. He simply sat on the beach and watched as his friends trained in the ocean, his fear not showing any signs of letting up. As the days went by, Haru was getting increasingly worried about his friend. He didn't want to have to tell Makoto's parents. He'd hoped they'd find a solution before the training camp was over, so no one else would have to know about this whole incident. However, with only 1 day left, and what the 'spirit' had told them, hope was fading. He genuinely feared Makoto would never return to his original form, and he didn't have the heart to kill his best friend. Maybe killing Makoto would spare him the agony of living a mundane life, a living hell, but he just didn't have the heart to do it. He just wanted to get this whole training camp over and done with. One more day in the ocean, and he made a vow. He would never swim again, in memory of Makoto. Just one more day.

* * *

 **A/N: Short chapter, but really fun to write. So we won't hear from Bellios again, but spirit Makoto is gonna try and kill Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei. I want to leave you guys hanging for a while before publishing the climax chapter, so tell me your opinions on the story so far. Thanks in advance for any reviews! :D**


	8. Thy Conquest

**A/N: Climax chapter is finally here! No worries, I won't kill Mako, but I'm not gonna spoil you readers. Read on. This chapter took me so long to write because I wanted to make it as perfect as I could.**

* * *

It was the last day of their training camp. Ironically, Haru was the one who couldn't wait for it to be over. He couldn't bear with the fact that Makoto would remain a child forever. He hated even more that it was his beloved water which caused the whole fiasco to happen in the first place. That's why he made a firm vow. After the training camp, he would cut off all his ties to swimming. He would never swim again. Just for today, he would make his friends happy one last time, and swim together with them.

The team had just finished breakfast, and Gou was already chasing them off to the water to train, with Makoto laughing sheepishly behind them. Nagisa was the first to notice Haru's troubled expression, and spoke. "Haru-chan, what's wrong? You seem a little off today."

"Oh? Oh, it's nothing…" he turned away. He didn't want his friends to see his worried face.

"Haru-chan, don't look so sad! Today's the last day of our training camp, let's make it the best we can! Remember, we're aiming for nationals!" Nagisa tried to cheer him up, to no avail.

"Nagisa-kun, have you forgotten about Makoto-senpai's current state? How do you think we'll make it to nationals without him? There's no way we can recruit any more members at this time of year…" Rei reminded him, eyes looking downward.

"That's right…" Nagisa's bubbly spirit died down. He looked over to Makoto, who was chatting with Gou near the lodge. "In any case, we've got to still do our best!" he tried to fake a lively spirit, but it was painfully obvious that all of them were not in a good mood today. Not wasting any more time, the three set off into the water, to begin their normal training.

* * *

The day went by without event, and Haru didn't see the figure of Makoto anywhere in sight while training. As disturbing as it was when that thing was around, he felt more disturbed when it wasn't around, because that meant it could show up at any moment. The sun was now setting, and it was getting dark. The sea was calm, and they were swimming their way back from Sukishima Island, with Makoto waving at them from the shore. Haru couldn't wait to reach that shore, and end his life of swimming forever. They were about 100m from shore, when Haru felt a sharp pulling on his left ankle. Wincing, he shook his leg to get rid of whatever it was, when he felt it start to pull him down. Taking a deep breath, he looked down, and saw the ghostly figure of teen Makoto again. It looked more terrifying than before. Everything about it looked the same as before, except that it now had blood red eyeballs. No irises, just eyeballs. Taking a quick glance at Nagisa and Rei, he yelled at them before it was too late. "Both of you, run! Get away from here, now!" he screamed, just before the chain connecting to his ankle pulled him down.

"Haruka-senpai? What's wrong?" Rei was too confused to move, and stopped. Floating in the water, he looked down and saw the same terrifying figure. He couldn't help but scream. "WHAT?! M-Makoto-senpai?!" Just as he uttered these words, he felt a chain wrap around him, dragging him down into the water.

"REI-CHAN! HARU-CHAN!" Nagisa screamed, and dived down to try and save both of them. He managed to reach Haru, and began unwrapping the chain around his ankle, when he felt another chain wrap around his neck. He looked down, and saw the figure of Makoto staring at him with cold expressionless eyes. He tried to release the chain, but the figure kept pulling him downward into the water. He was running out of air, and losing consciousness. Taking one last look at the shore where the real Makoto was, he saw his friend staring and shaking in horror at the sight before him. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into unconsciousness.

Back on the shore, Makoto could only watch in horror as his friends got dragged down to the depths of the ocean, by none other than himself. He wanted to help them, but he knew he couldn't. Not with his current body. There was no one on the beach but him. He knew he had to do something to help, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do so. Reaching out a shivering hand, he began to sob. _"My friends are going to die because of me. They're going to die because I'm too weak to help them."_

" _It's not too late."_ A clear voice resonated in his head. _"You can save them, young one."_

Makoto instantly recognized it as the voice of the old fisherman whom he'd befriended so long ago. He looked around desperately, hoping the old man could help, but he couldn't see him. "Ojii-san*, where are you?" he pleaded. He hoped someone was there to help his friends.

" _I'm not physically here. Child, right now, you're the only one who can save your friends. Don't let them end up like me."_

"But… I can't… I'm afraid of the ocean…" he stammered.

" _What's there to be afraid of? Your friends are dying in front of you, and you're going to ignore them because of your fear?!"_ he sounded angry, but he was trying to convince Makoto to overcome his fear, and go save his friends.

"You were killed by the ocean, Ojii-san! No one saved you, and now the same thing will happen to my friends and I…" he knew time was running out for his friends, yet he couldn't force himself to move.

" _No one saved me because there was no one who_ _ **could**_ _save us! But right now,_ _ **you**_ _can save your friends! You're the_ _ **only one**_ _who can save your friends! Are you going to just stand here and ignore that fact?! What's more important? A fear? A feeling of guilt? NO! It's the power to save your friends! Your actions can change the lives of others! GO NOW!_ _ **YOU**_ _CAN DO THIS!"_ the old man's voice was now screaming in his head, but instead of anger, it was filled with reassurance.

At that moment, his shivering ceased. Wiping away his tears, Makoto got to his feet. With a firm resolve, he removed his shirt and ran into the water. Today, **he** would be the one to save his friends. Today, he would overcome his fear.

" _Go forth_ _, young one. Don't let anything hold you back. Move forward, and that shall become your path to the future."_ The voice spoke a final sentence that resonated in his head, giving him the courage to press forward.

Swimming as fast as he could, Makoto reached his friends within a minute. Taking a deep breath, he dived into the depths below. The first thing he tried to do was unwrap the chains around his friends' bodies. They were all unconscious, and he knew they were running out of time. When he failed to loosen the chains, he looked around desperately. He saw the figure of himself staring him square in the face. A chain shot out from its right arm, trying to grab him. Swimming to the surface to catch a breath, he knew he couldn't evade the chain. Letting it grab him, he swam towards the figure. _"I have to stop this thing to save my friends. I have to conquer my own fear!"_

Swimming as hard as his body would allow, he rammed himself into the figure. For something that could not possibly exist physically, it certainly felt like a real being. It wasn't letting up. Taking drastic measures, he circled around it, so the chain attached to him would tie the figure up. After making 3 rounds, he swam downward with as much force as he could muster, dragging the body with him. Slamming it on the ocean floor, he felt the chains loosen just a little. Looking around, he took in his surroundings, and found that the ocean floor was littered with rocks of all shapes and sizes. Looking closer, he spotted a small, sharp-looking rock. Rushing over to pick it up, he went in for the kill. He swam with a new-born fire in his eyes. Taking one good look at the figure's face, its blood red eyes widened with fear, and hands clenched up into fists, before he plunged the spear-like rock into its heart.

On impact, a white glow emanated from its body, and blood started spilling out. Instead of red like human blood, this 'blood' was a sickly purple colour. The chains on all their bodies faded away, and Makoto rushed to grab his friends to save them. Before he could even move, a bright light enveloped his body. The light blinded him, and he swore that light covered all of them. Covering his eyes, he braced himself for whatever was to come next. He felt a sharp tugging throughout his entire body, and it felt as if he was being pulled from all directions. He winced in pain. The pain felt familiar, but he couldn't remember when he'd felt it.

Opening his eyes, his body felt strange. Taking a moment to process what was happening, he realized he'd just been reverted to his teenage form. He was wearing his black and green jammers, and he could feel the strength within his body. The figure of his teenage self was nowhere to be seen, so he figured he'd merged with the figure. _"This is no time to be confused."_ He reminded himself. _"Makoto, save your friends first. You can figure out these weird things later!"_ Regaining his logical mind, he grabbed the two people closest to him, which happened to be Nagisa and Rei, and swam to the surface. _"Please be fine, Haru. Hang in there!"_ he pleaded to the unconscious Haru, who was now lying on the ocean floor. He felt the sudden change in pressure cause a stinging pain in his ears, but he didn't care. His friends were more important now. They were in far greater danger. He swam as fast as he could, but it was difficult when he was carrying two people with him. It took him 4 minutes to reach shore, a far slower time than anyone on the team for a 100m swim. Setting his friends down on the shore, he was panting from the adrenaline and breathless, but he knew he couldn't stop. He knew it would already be too late, and Haru might have drowned, but he had to go save him regardless. Taking another deep breath, he charged forward, determination blazing in his eyes.

It was difficult to pinpoint Haru's location, due to the vast expense of the sea. Makoto had wasted another minute searching for Haru's body on the ocean floor, and he hated wasting time. Especially when his best friend's life was in danger. He finally spotted Haru's body on the ocean floor, sand covering his exposed torso. His eyes were closed, and he had a mysteriously calm, stoic expression on his face, and Makoto knew that wasn't good. That expression meant Haru had given up and let himself slip into unconsciousness during the ordeal, increasing the risk of him dying. _"No! Don't think like that, Makoto! There's still hope. Haru is not dead yet!"_ he kept telling himself, but with every passing second, hope was fading. Wrapping his arm around Haru's neck, he secured his grip, and burst his way through the water to breach the surface. His muscles were aching, he wanted to lie down somewhere, but he had to press on. He needed to bring them both back to shore. He had to save Haru.

It took him another 2 minutes to make his way to shore. By the time he reached, he was breathless, panting heavily. He wanted to collapse, but he couldn't. It was not over yet. He had to check his friends to see if they were still alive. He desperately looked around the beach, hoping there was someone to help him. There was no one. _"Gou and Ama-sensei must be in the lodge. Looks like I'll have to do this myself."_ Doing a quick check on Nagisa and Rei, he thankfully found both were still breathing. Their pulse was slow, and breathing weak, but Makoto knew they would both be fine.

Moving on to Haru, he first checked the pulse. He couldn't find any pulse. Paling, he desperately searched for one at his neck, wrists, or ankles, but failed to find one. _"Haru is fine. He_ _ **has**_ _to be."_ He kept telling himself. Checking his body more thoroughly, he found that Haru was also not breathing. Ironically, the same situation happened on the first day of their training camp, but reversed. Huffing and panting, Makoto did dozens of chest compressions, and kept blowing air into Haru's mouth, sealing it with his own. No matter how hard he tried, his efforts were useless. _"NO! Haru can't be dead! He CAN'T BE!"_ His mind was now shouting, growing more desperate by the second. As he continued his desperate efforts, he failed to notice Nagisa had regained consciousness.

"Mako-chan…?" he was still weary from the ordeal and their day's events, but he could tell the obvious change in Makoto. "You're back to normal!" he exclaimed happily, running over to hug his friend.

"Now's not the time!" Makoto screamed, causing Nagisa to step back a little. It was rare to see Makoto lose his cool, or get angry like that. "Nagisa-kun, Haru's not breathing! I've performed CPR on him, but it's not working! Please help me!" he was now begging.

Paralyzed with fear, Nagisa could only watch as Makoto was on the verge of breaking down, his cool demeanour long gone. "Mako-chan… Please, stop…" he croaked out. "It's pointless…" as much as he hated to admit it, he knew there was nothing either of them could do for Haru.

"How could you say that?!" Makoto released his grip on Haru, and turned to Nagisa, blinded by rage, unable to think clearly. "I refuse to accept this! Haru is alive, I just know it!"

He raised his fist to punch Nagisa, but stopped when another hand stopped it from crashing down. "Makoto-senpiai, I understand you're feeling troubled at the moment, but you have to calm down." It was Rei, calm as ever. Neither of them had noticed he'd regained consciousness. "Flaring your temper and raging against Nagisa-kun is not going to help any of us. Haruka-senpai needs serious medical attention, which we are unable to provide here."

"I've been doing the best I can! I've performed CPR dozens of times, but nothing's working!" Makoto looked broken, on the verge of breaking down into sobs.

"As much as I hate to say it Makoto-senpai, if what you've done for Haruka-senpai has not worked. It can only mean one thing. And you know what it is." Rei looked away, trying to avoid Makoto's gaze, while Nagisa tried to use his eyes to plead with Makoto.

In that instant, all colour left Makoto's face, and his world was shattered, his heart shattered into bits. His arms fell limply at his sides, and he knelt on the sand, unable to move a single muscle. Nagisa looked on, and he too was grief-stricken, as much as he tried not to show it. The only time he'd seen Makoto look so broken was during the river incident*, when he thought he'd lost Haru. This time, he'd really lost Haru forever.

Tears started to roll down Makoto's cheek. He'd lost everything he wanted to live for. His best friend, the one who'd been with him since early childhood, was now gone. Literally, he'd killed his own best friend. Makoto knew he'd never be the same again. He could only sit on the sand, wallowing in self-pity. Haru had died, and it was all his fault.

* * *

 **A/N: Hehehe. I said I wouldn't kill Mako, but I didn't say anything about Haru! XD**

 **The fisherman's words were inspired from an episode of Fairy Tail anime, where Aquarius is telling Lucy to make a sacrifice for the sake of her friends (Tartaros arc, for those of you who watch it). Seemed appropriate, but I had to change some of the details to keep the wording in context. His ending sentence ( _Don't let anything hold you back_** **) was inspired by Mavis Vermillion, from the same anime (GMG arc, day 5). Ojii-san is a Japanese term which means Grandfather, but in this case, is used when the child is very close to an old man friend/relative. The 'river incident' is mentioned in chapter 4, go back and look if you can't remember. I'm gonna let your imaginations run wild abit, before I post the next chapter. Prepare your tissues. Once again, reviews appreciated!**


	9. Grief

**A/N: I'm sorry this took a little longer than usual. Writing strong emotions is not my thing. I'm better at writing characters' thoughts. This chapter had to convey a lot of strong emotion, so it took me a long time to get it just right.**

 **I got inspired to write this chapter after listening to a duet by the VA's of Makoto and Haru. That song was just so beautiful! It's called "My base, Your pace". It's MakoHaru all over! The lyrics' English translation makes me feel bad for writing this sad chapter…**

 **To JeanaStar: I wanted to make an 'antagonist' in the story. I like suspense and angst stories, I'm sorry. That's sort of why I decided to kill Haru, to create more angst.**

* * *

Makoto could not move. He just knelt on the sand, cradling Haru's dead body in his arms, sobbing hysterically. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault." He repeated over and over again, each time with more pain in his voice.

"Mako-chan…" Nagisa and Rei could only stand by and watch as their friend berated himself. Nagisa wanted to comfort Makoto, but he didn't know what to say. He was afraid what he'd say would only make things worse. Trying anyway, he placed a comforting hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Mako-chan, it's not your fault… It's no one's fault…" he choked out, grief evident in his voice.

Turning around, Makoto grabbed Nagisa's ankles, burying his face into Nagisa's feet. He understood his friend was trying to help, and this was his way of showing appreciation. "I'm sorry, Nagisa, Rei." He muttered, continuing to cry. "I just… don't know what to do…"

As he bent down to stroke the back of Makoto's head in an attempt to comfort him, neither of them noticed Gou and Ama-sensei walking out of the lodge, blissfully unaware of the events that had just transpired. Looking at the sullen boys on the beach, realization set into them quickly. Ama-sensei had to say something, seeing that they were her students, therefore her responsibility. Carefully, she approached Rei, the only one who seemed approachable at the moment. "Ryugazaki-kun, what happened here? What happened to Nanase-kun and Tachibana-kun over there?" she prodded for answers, fear slowly rising in her heart.

"Amakata-sensei, I hate to say this, but Haruka-senpai drowned in an accident, and Makoto-senpai is grieving. I don't wish to explain how Makoto-senpai returned to his current form. That is an explanation for another day." He spoke slowly, reluctant to hurt Makoto even more, but he knew he had to explain to their teacher.

Hearing the explanation, Gou and Ama-sensei could only stare in shock at the boys. As bad as she felt for interrupting their grieving, Ama-sensei knew they had administrative matters to settle. "Boys, I need you to get changed, and get ready to leave. Sasabe-san will be coming over in an hour to send us back to the mainland. Matsuoka-san, help them pack their stuff. I need to speak with Tachibana-kun." She said slowly, careful not to upset Makoto further.

Once they were alone, she approached Makoto with caution, knowing full well that grieving people could be volatile. "Tachibana-kun," she started. "What do you want to do now? You're the closest person to Nanase-kun, I need to know your next course of action on this matter."

Makoto had stopped crying, but the grief was still evident on his face. "I don't know…" he spoke slowly and softly. "I relied on Haru for a lot of things, but now that he's gone, I don't know what to do."

"Tachibana-kun, there is a saying that goes 'Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.'* Your bond with Nanase-kun is strong enough, that I'm sure you will be able to get through this. I will handle matters with the school, but do you wish to give him a proper burial when we return?" she spoke with a comforting voice, fitting for a teacher.

"I will give him a proper burial. Thank you for your concern, sensei. There is a favour I wish to ask of you, however." His voice was dead serious, devoid of any emotion, contrasting his usually happy personality. "Do not tell anyone of this incident for one week."

"But, Tachibana-kun…" she tried to protest, but was cut off when he suddenly bowed in front of her.

"Please!" he begged, hurt in his voice. "At least give us all some time to recover."

"Very well then." She gave up, knowing better than to interfere with Makoto's decision in such a matter. "Tachibana-kun, I suggest you get changed, so we can leave for mainland soon." She didn't wish to speak with him any longer, knowing that leaving him alone would be the best option.

* * *

On their ride to the mainland, coach Sasabe tried to ask the boys about what happened, but seeing their glum faces made him think otherwise. Turning to Nagisa, even the bubbly, always energetic kid was now solemn. Makoto had dressed Haru's corpse in regular clothing so it would not look strange, but Sasabe knew better. He wanted to ask Makoto many questions, but one look into his eyes told him to shut up.

On their return to mainland, Nagisa and Rei wanted to follow Makoto to his house. They wanted to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid, but he practically ordered them not to follow him. Exchanging worried looks with one another, the two could only watch as Makoto dragged Haru's body up the hill, with all his camping equipment.

"Do you think Makoto-senpai would be okay?" Rei tried to ask Nagisa, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Mako-chan is stronger than this, I know it." Nagisa sounded reassuring, but in his heart, he was thinking otherwise. "But with what's happened recently, I'm not too sure anymore. We can only hope for the best, Rei-chan."

When he finally reached Haru's house at the top of the hill, he set down all of his stuff, laying him down on the floor of the living room. Digging around the storeroom for a shovel, he found one, and dragged it to the backyard, along with the corpse, and a heavy heart. As he dug a hole deep enough for a body, he kept looking over to Haru, foolishly hoping that he would open his eyes, and tell him that everything would be okay. Those words never came. He never opened his eyes.

Accepting reality, Makoto gingerly lowered Haru's corpse into the makeshift grave. The corpse was dressed in a plain yellow t-shirt, with his light blue hoodie, and a simple pair of black jeans. He wore an eerily calm expression on his face, as if he were asleep. In a sense, he was asleep, forever.

Makoto couldn't take his eyes off the corpse. Haru was his best friend. They had always been together, even before either of them could walk or talk. It just felt wrong for one to leave the other so suddenly. Before he knew it, tears started flowing down his face once more, landing on Haru's shirt. He couldn't let go of the guilt he felt. The guilt that said he was the one that caused Haru's death. No, that guilt would never go away, no matter how hard he tried.

"Goodnight, Haru." He choked out, tears still flowing from his eyes, as he shovelled the dirt back into the hole.

Once he'd covered the hole and secured the ground, he knelt down, facing the ground. Pulling a rose from his bag, he laid it on the ground. It was a pink rose he'd taken from his garden on his way up the hill. Running into the house, he grabbed a water basin from the kitchen, and a small plastic toy. Filling the basin with water, he returned outside, and placed the flower and the toy in the water.

"Do you remember this dolphin toy, Haru?" he began softly, playing with it in his fingers. "We got this when we first joined the swim club as kids. We both wanted it, but I let you have it, taking a fish toy instead. Coach Sasabe suggested we use rock-paper-scissors to decide, but I didn't want to fight for it, and I knew you didn't either."

"I will never forget you, Haru. Even if the entire world forgets your existence, I will remember you forever. Because we've been together forever."

Sighing, he picked up his bag, getting ready to leave. Looking back, he uttered a final statement before walking off. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Haru." Forcing himself not to cry, he plodded his way back home.

* * *

Within a day, there was an obvious change in Makoto. In school, he was more distant from everyone, refusing to speak unless spoken to. At home, he distanced himself from his family, and although he didn't tell them what was wrong, they could tell by the fact that he'd not been speaking about Haru at all during mealtimes or during family conversations. The only thing he could find solace in was when he was at Haru's grave, or writing in a diary which he'd started keeping to write his emotions, so he wouldn't burst from the emotional overload.

 _Makoto's Diary_

 _Entry 1: 28 June (1 day after training camp end)_

 _I've started writing in a diary to keep track of my emotions, to keep me from going insane. In a way, I feel this is a way I can speak with you, Haru. Even if you can't answer me, I can imagine a response, just like how our wordless conversations always played out in the past. I can't get you off my mind, Haru. We've always been together, and losing you was my entire world falling apart. I planted an Orchid plant behind your house, near your grave. I remember it was your favourite type of flower. You said it grew 'freely'. That was so like you, Haru. Did you know, orchids are a symbolic flower to say 'I will always love you'? I'll always love you, Haru. I can never forget you._

 _Entry 2: 29 June_

 _Today in class, Amakata-sensei was not present for first period. A male teacher took over, I think his name was Yamada-sensei. Anyways, when he was taking attendance and calling out names, when he reached your name, that pain in my heart returned. No one in school except Nagisa and Rei know you're dead Haru. I couldn't bring myself to say it in class, so I lied and said you were sick and had to stay home. After school, there was swim practice as usual, but I couldn't bring myself to stay. I swim because I want to swim with you, Haru. Without you, there's no point in being there. I can't quit the swim club. I know how much Nagisa and Rei want to be in it, and if I'm there, it will at least make our club an official one. Today, instead of going for practice, I went to the ocean, and sat there until sunset. The ocean reminded me of you. Free, but alive. As you always said, 'the water is alive'. I finally understand what that means. It's alive, but I hate it. I'm not afraid anymore, but I hate the ocean more than ever._

* * *

It was a normal day, life went on for everybody like usual. Makoto went to school like everyone else, he sat in class but didn't pay attention. However, this was a special day. It was the 30th June. More specifically, a certain Nanase Haruka's birthday.

After school was dismissed, Makoto left without saying goodbye to anyone. He didn't want to stick around. He knew he'd feel worse being around his friends on this special day. Nagisa and Rei had tried to follow him, knowing how he felt on the day, but 2 minutes into their walk, Makoto had noticed them, and commanded them to leave him alone. The ever friendly 'giant' had now turned into a cold, hostile giant.

"Nagisa-kun, Makoto-senpai seems more agitated than usual today. Do you know why?" Rei had tried to ask Nagisa, after the two had been chased away by Makoto.

With downcast eyes, Nagisa looked at him straight in the eye. "Today is Haru-chan's birthday. I'm betting Mako-chan feels even worse today on all days." He responded, without any emotion.

Meanwhile, Makoto had stopped by the ocean, simply to take a walk before heading back to Haru's house. Walking on the shore, he let his mind wander off. _"I wish you were here, Haru. I really miss you, I feel so lost without you. I'd ask you to come back to me, but I know that's impossible."_ He was internally sobbing as he walked along the shore, slowly picking up seashells as he went along. Once he'd gathered 15, the sun was already beginning to set. He placed them in his bag, and began his walk up the hill to Haru's house.

Reaching the house, he took a wash basin from the kitchen, and began to wash the seashells, removing any sand from the surface. Each seashell had been specially chosen. They each had intricate shapes, some long, and some round. Most had jagged surfaces, but there were a few with perfectly smooth surfaces. Gathering them up, he headed to the backyard where Haru's grave was at. Setting the seashells down in a perfect circle around the orchid plant and the dolphin toy, he began to pay his respects. He didn't care that he hadn't even changed out of his summer school uniform yet.

"Happy birthday, Haru." He began, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"I gathered these for you." He smiled, picking up one seashell in between his fingers. "You liked them, right? I remember how you said they were 'free'. You told me, 'they float freely in the water, bothered by nothing as they float by the waves'. I know it's insignificant, but I collected 15 here, one for every year we've been together."

Sighing, he raised his head to the sky. "I hope you can hear me, Haru. I hope you're happy where you are now, if there is an afterlife of some sort. You'll watch over me, right? Because we've been together forever, and we'll always be together."

Closing his eyes, he let the wind rush past him, blowing his hair in the summer wind. He wanted to stay for a little longer, to spend some time on this special day to mourn for Haru. As he felt the wind blow against his face, he heard a crunching of leaves behind him, indicating the presence of someone else. Standing up, he was prepared to strike at whoever was there, for interrupting his precious mourning time. He jerked around, fists ready, but got a shock when he saw just who was standing behind him. It was Nagisa and Rei, each holding a bento box in their hands, and an Iwatobi key chain, the ones Haru made to attract new members when they'd first started the club. "You guys…" he stammered out. "What are you doing here?" he reeled back in shock, feeling guilty for wanting to lash out at them. "How long have you been here?" his face started to go red with embarrassment, afraid that they had heard the things he said while mourning.

"Makoto-senpai…" Rei tried to stay, startled by the sudden hostility. "We just got here. We haven't heard a single thing you've said."

"Mako-chan, I know today is an important day for you, but you seemed worse than usual. I asked Rei-chan to come here with me so we could pay our respects to Haru-chan." Nagisa tried to explain. Holding up the bento box in his hands, he continued. "Rei-chan made mackerel, the way Haru-chan likes it. We were going to put one box here as an offering, and give one box to you."

"Makoto-senpai, are you sure you're okay? You've distanced yourself from everyone lately, you don't speak, and you don't smile at all. If there's anything we can do to help…" Rei cut himself off when he saw tears streaming down Makoto's face.

"Mako-chan…"

"I'm sorry guys…" he managed to say between sobs. "I just need to be alone now. You can stay here if you want to…" with that, he ran off, down the stairs, and into the night, leaving the two by the grave.

Looking at each other in bewilderment, they nodded silently. "We should wait here for Mako-chan. He'll come back eventually." Nagisa suggested, and they began to mourn for their lost friend.

* * *

Makoto was running without a goal in mind, he just wanted to get away from people, to somewhere his mind could be at peace. When he finally stopped, he found himself in front of the ocean, the one where Haru always used to swim in the summer before they started their swim club. It was the perfect place to gather his thoughts. Sitting himself on the sand, he buried his face in his hands and knees, continuing to sob.

"I miss you, Haru. I can't live without you." He began to mutter, knowing no one was out here to hear him.

" _I can't bear to see you like this."_

"I miss the little things you said, when you would always say doing things were 'too much effort'. I miss the times you would keep telling me to stop calling you '-chan'."

" _I miss the way you would dote on me like a mother, in place of my own. It was annoying at times, but I treasure it more than the world."_

"I miss our everyday silent conversations, with us being able to read each other's minds."

" _I miss the way you would keep talking for hours, with me being silent all the way. I could never grow tired of your voice."_

"It's the little things we enjoyed together that made our time special. I miss you being with me, Haru. I know you're watching over me, but it just doesn't feel the same."

" _I miss the feeling of your warm hand when you'd pull me out of the water every day, the warm feeling in your chest on our occasional hugs. I miss your being."_

"Remember back in grade school, when we promised we'd always be together? I'm sorry I can't keep that promise."

" _I'm sorry I can't keep our shared promise."_

"I've promised myself to live on for your sake, but that pain, that guilt in me will never go away."

" _I want you to live on for your own sake, don't let anything hold you back. I will watch over you forever, Makoto."_

* * *

 **A/N: Finally done! I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC, but when you lose a close loved one, your personality tends to change, sometimes doing a 180. A single rose indicated enduring love for the deceased. Pink roses signify love, grace, appreciation, and gentility, everything their friendship seems to have. The quote which Ama-sensei said in the beginning is by Leo Tolstoy. I found it while looking for 'sayings to describe grief'.**

 **I think you can guess what the italics at the end are, right? So how was this chapter? Good, bad? Please leave a review! :D**


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